Jay Cutler opening up as Bears minicamp gets underway

Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer discuss QB Jay Cutler from minicamp.

Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer discuss QB Jay Cutler from minicamp.

Dan Wiederer, Tribune reporter

The Bears completed their first day of a three-day mini-camp Tuesday at Halas Hall entering the home stretch of their offseason program. After Tuesday’s practice, quarterback Jay Cutler met the media, holding his first press conference since early January. Cutler addressed everything from his comfort in his second year of Marc Trestman’s offense to what he values most in a back-up quarterback. Here are seven of Cutler’s most interesting thoughts.

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On how he can be involved in improving his durability and availability so he can aim to play a 16-game season …

“I was straight (in my career) until really I got here. For awhile, it was a hit parade back there. It takes its toll from time to time. I think with the offensive line we’ve got here, the guys are doing everything possible. Last year was last year. Kind of two freak injuries. I don’t really foresee that happening again.

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On whether the “hit parade” he experienced early in his tenure as a Bear changed anything in the way he gets rid of the ball …

“It’s two-fold. Once you start getting hit a lot, you start taking your eyes off the secondary. You lose a lot of trust up front and it gets difficult to play quarterback that way. You look across the league and you see guys that are getting hit a lot, they’re probably not going to be doing very well. The guys who stay pretty clean are in offenses year-in and year-out and get a feel for the guys (in front of them). Those guys are going to be the ones who are in the top of the league every year. So we’ll see how it goes. I think Trest does a great job of emphasizing getting rid of the ball; protection first, and that’s how everything is designed here.”

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On how he’s seen the playbook sharpened and the offense refined since last season …

“We weren't for sure what kind of team we were last year -- what we did well, what the guys felt comfortable doing. (It’s been) going back and looking at what plays we were successful with, (getting) some feedback from the players, what they liked, what they didn't like and just taking a look at what the quarterback room was comfortable with on each play. So it's been a combination of a lot of different guys talking. And the coaches have done an excellent job this off-season of combing through not only what we do but everybody across the league and taking some stuff from other teams.”

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On how running an offensive system efficiently requires problem-solving skills that the scheme sets up for …

“It is problem solving. After you do it a few years, you know what the answers are already. You're not guessing. You know where guys are going to be, you know what the calls are, you know why the call came in, you know what you want to get to if (there) is a problem. We're going in that direction, but we're still trying to figuring some things out and we had some areas last year where we struggled and we weren't perfect so we have to keep working and keep trying to get better.”

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On how he learned of Brandon Marshall’s contract extension, a deal the colorful receiver announced during an appearance on ABC’s “The View” last month …

“How did I learn of it? I think (my wife) Kristin (Cavillari) sent me a picture. She saw on Twitter or something. So she flipped it on and she sent me a picture. So that’s how I learned. I don’t think many people knew what was going on or when he was going to do it. It doesn’t surprise me. Brandon has his way of doing things that have never been done. … I think it was a little touch-and-go there for awhile. But I think Phil did a great job of keeping everything together and working with Brandon and his agent. At the end of the day, everyone wanted him to stay here. The organization wanted him to stay here. Brandon wanted to stay here. It’s just finding that common ground. We’ve got a great group of people, scouts, management and ownership upstairs that when they’ve got a good guy, they try to keep him around.”

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On how general manager Phil Emery approached him for a minor contract restructuring in March, a move that allowed the Bears to clear salary cap space to sign free agent defensive end Jared Allen …

“(Phil) said, ‘Do you want your money now?’ And I said, ‘Sure.’ That’s kind of how the restructure went down. I got some credit for that, but I didn’t really do much. They said, ‘Do you want it now?’ I said, ‘Yeah. Absolutely.’ You knew there was a reason for him to do it. He’s not going to divulge his plans — that’s kind of how they operate, which I think is great. But it was good for the team. And to get a guy like Jared Allen is huge for that defense — a veteran guy, a veteran presence that gets it done every week. I was happy to do it. “

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On what he values most in a back-up quarterback …

“That’s tough. They either get it or they don’t get it. All those guys in the (quarterback) room understand what the role is as a back-up. Sometimes you have to be a go-between guy. Sometimes you have to be a guy that says, ‘Hey, you’re doing it wrong. This guy’s open. You messed it up.’ Sometimes you’ve just got to let the starter vent and just listen to him moan and go on about stuff. But you also have to be ready to go. So he’s got to spend some extra time figuring out what happens if he goes in because he’s not going to get the reps. It’s a tough position. It’s a really hard position to be in.”